For more information about SOUTHEND BEEKEEPERS
or to become a member, please contact us at
membershipsecretary.SDBKA@gmail.com

To enquire about or book your place on our
INTRODUCTION TO BEEKEEPING COURSE  2026
please contact our membership secretary at the above email.
COURSE STARTS ??

 

Are you interested in bees and thinking about keeping some?
PLEASE READ THIS FIRST!

It really is best to take a course before you start so you have some idea about what you are doing. It may look easy but there’s a lot to think about. If you haven’t already, purchase a book on beekeeping to get familiar with the terms and what’s involved. Have a look at the list on our Courses page.

Your first time of looking in an open bee hive, to say ’hello’ personally, will determine whether you want to keep bees, or keep away!

Once you start, there is a distinct possibility you will be hooked!

Try not buy any equipment at all until you’ve been on a course and discussed options with existing beekeepers. There are different sizes and styles of hives etc and they are not interchangeable. You can waste a lot of money buying things you don’t really need or use.

MOST IMPORTANTLY – DON’T buy or bring in bees from another area or, worse still, abroad; this risks bringing in parasites and diseases.

Only keep locally-sourced bees; these will be adapted to local conditions.

We have happy thriving local colonies for sale and they will cost you far less than commercially supplied bees.

We support new beekeepers as you start out and you will meet fellow beekeepers with whom you can share ideas and discuss queries. So why not register interest in one of our beginners’ courses?

Something to consider would be the cost of taking up beekeeping – your first jar of honey is said to cost £1000!

Think about where you will keep your hive(s), the space for them and the room to work around them and for all the equipment you will need to accumulate. Also, bear in mind that you will need to regularly inspect your bees to watch for swarming behaviour and disease; so consider you time constraints.

Taster Sessions

Are you thinking of doing our course but not sure how you will react to 30,000 live bees in front of you?

We can offer a taster session before you book.

However, as our Theory classes usually start in February you will need to contact us during the preceding year, no later than July, to arrange and book a session with one of our experienced beekeepers. There may be a charge for this. In the first instance please contact our membership secretary via the Contact us link.